Why We Chose To Return To Homeschooling

Back and forth. Back and forth. Do we homeschool again, do we go back to public school?

It’s that time of year, when we buy lists of supplies, new shoes and lunch boxes, and send our kids off to school. Normally. Mostly. But not all of us, I suppose. We’ve homeschooled since my 10 year old started preschool and it’s been the norm for us every year except the last one. Last year we ventured into the foreign land of “public school,” and I must say, had a fantastic year.

The school was fantastic. The principal was amazing, and the teachers were the best I’ve known. If my son’s homeroom teacher had been moving up with them this year I may have reconsidered our decision (not really, but I did love her……). It was the best first public school experience we could have had. It was exactly the right decision for us for last year.

But this year? This year God has brought our hearts back to home. We’ve had many ask us why we chose to go back to homeschooling, and there isn’t really a “reason”. There was no definitive moment that made us think we should pull them out. The main reason, of course, is because it is the way we felt God was leading us, but also because we liked our family life so much better when we homeschooled.

There was such a disconnect between my kids and myself last year. I spent all of my time immersed in the land of baby, and my older two were shuttled back and forth from school to church to sports. That was, literally, our life. It wasn’t a bad life, and it was necessary for the time, but it wasn’t our ideal.

Researching curriculum, writing out schedules, and buying supplies all made me feel like me again. I feel like I’m back in my sweet spot and I’m ready for this year. I know that we’ll have ups and downs and that there will be days that I will wonder what in the world I was thinking, but anyone who home schools and tells you that they don’t have days like that is LYING. Straight through their teeth.

The answer for this year: Homeschooling. The reason: because God leads. Because we can. Because I like not having to count down my time left with my kids by how many summers we have left together.